Plot: Goutam (Vishnu Manchu) is a sincere police officer who stays with his loving-wife Satya (Tejaswi). Everything goes well for him till he confronts a trouble in form of Seetharam (Surya), a cab driver-turned-serial killer who brutally murders beautiful girls in Hyderabad for pleasure. And now, Goutam launches a manhunt for Seetharam. In the mission, he is assisted by Sailaja (Revathi) who mastered in the behavioral sciences and has a knack over the psyche of pyshos.

Performances:

Vishnu Manchu: The pitch-perfect performance by film's lead protagonist Vishnu is what stands out in the film. Vishnu deserves all the laurels, accolades for choosing a film like Anukshanam. He has set a new precedent to his peers by picking such out-of-the-box story. Not many star heroes would dare to essay a role. And Vishnu seeks teeth into it. Vishnu is in good form throughout the film. He evolved as a matured-actor with this flick. Acting-wise, this could be one of the best films in Vishnu's career.

Revathi: After a long hiatus, Revathi has made her comeback. Simply put, she couldn't have better comeback. She aptly fits the bill as a psychologist.

Surya: Despite the fact that he's newcomer, he emoted well. Unless you're informed that he's debutante, you'd not know that through his acting skills.

Tejaswi: Tejaswi as Satya sizzled in brief role as Vishnu Manchu's wife.

Madhu Shalini: Madhu Shalini essays the role of TV journalist Aasha.

Others: It's tailor-made role (Home Minister) for Kota Sreenivasa Rao and Brahmanandam is passable in the film. Brahmi's role should have been etched well.

Direction: Directing a crime thriller is a cakewalk for Ram Gopal Varma and Anukshanam is no different either. Varma does it with ease. However, he continues his uncanny camera techniques, at places, but that didn't deter you at all. RGV is back with a bang with Anukshanam.

Editing: Anukshanam is slick, fast-paced. Editing is done with great finesse.

Thumbs Up:

Vishnu ManchuRGV's expertiseScreenplayThumbs Down:

Scenes involving Brahmanandam

Analysis:

Anukshanam instantly strikes a chord for reasons that are manifold. The movie's gritty realistic narration is something bolt out of the blue in Telugu films and this works in a big way for the film. At a time, T-town is running after illogical mass-masala commercial potboilers like Power, Rabhasa, one needs a lot of courage to come up with such a film which sans songs, comedy, over-the-top action episodes. Kudos to Vishnu and Varma for putting efforts in what they believed in. What forms is a Telugu film on the lines of a Hollywood film. Especially the film's pace is what hooks and engages audience throughout the film. Vishnu Manchu succeeds in keeping you on your toes.

Sample this, Goutam (Vishnu) receives a parcel sent by serial killer Seetharam (Surya) which has the "head" of a girl Nidhi Seetharam had killed. When Vishnu opens up the parcel in front of the Nidhi's boyfriend Navdeep, but he manages to conceal it. Vishnu's subtle action here takes the movie to new high. Sailaja (Revathi) too works in favour of the film.

Yet the movie has its share of stumbling blocks. Brahmanandam is a spoilsport for the film. Though he tries to but fails miserably. It's conspicuous that his role has been forcefully included. But it's passable. If you're a regular complainant about Telugu films, you must watch Anukshanam. And if you're not, still you should watch Anukshanam. It's not a routine Telugu film you get to watch every now and then.